Florian Roblin

Maimbry, Côteaux Giennois — Loire Valley

Certified Organic

Often referred to as “the poor man’s Sancerre,” the Côteaux du Giennois lies approximately 20 km north of Sancerre. The best parcels, such as Florian’s ‘Champ Gibault,’ often have a mix of clay and flint over a chalk base. This all translates to affordable wines with a clear cut mineral character. His whites could easily be mistaken for Sancerre tasted blind, and his red offers a bit more richness, structure, and fruit-forwardness than many Sancerre rouges – all at the fraction of the price. 

Florian Roblin comes from a family of farmers. He developed a passion for working in nature and maintaining a vineyard while helping his grandfather farm a few vines for personal consumption. After completing his studies in vineyard management and winemaking, Florian interned with Alphonse Mellot of Sancerre, Jean-Louis Trapet in Gevrey-Chambertin, and François Villard in the Northern Rhône. He planted his first vines on a family-owned parcel called ‘Champ Gibault’ in 2006. 

The south-facing ‘Champ Gibault’ parcel has a gentle slope with soils that are a mix of clay and flint over chalk base. This is a superb mix for producing wines with mineral purity, structure, and precision. 

Florian decided to plant quite densely for the region, 8333 vines/ha rather than the standard 6900. This enables him to prune short, allowing each vine to produce less fruit, but ensure maximum concentration. He has added new vines each year since 2006, and he has currently planted about half of his 7ha. Florian avoids chemical treatments, uses native yeasts for the majority of his fermentations, and keeps sulfur use to a minimum.

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Photos by Terroirs Dublin